


i've got my love to keep me warm

by therestisconfetti



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, santa baby scene that was cut out in 3x09, which they totally should've kept that in tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:47:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27890980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therestisconfetti/pseuds/therestisconfetti
Summary: There’s something about the way Finn says it that makes it click for Santana. She recognizes that tone; it’s the one she finds herself using when she’s in complete awe of Brittany, like when Brittany dances around the choir room effortlessly or when she looks at Santana like she’s the brightest star she’s ever seen.or: Finn needs a present for Rachel, Brittany is endlessly supportive of her girlfriend being a good friend and Santana realizes she and Finn are both stupidly in love with their girlfriends
Relationships: Finn Hudson/Santana Lopez brotp, Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce
Comments: 6
Kudos: 43





	i've got my love to keep me warm

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea for awhile now and saved it for the holiday season. I go back and watch the deleted Santa baby scene all the time because 1) Naya kills it, as per usual and 2) I love the friendship between Santana and Finn during the scene, which I wish we could've had more of in the show, so naturally here I am writing about it.
> 
> I miss both of them a little more after writing this.

The last place Santana wants to be is at the mall with Finn Hudson shopping for his stupid dwarf girlfriend’s Christmas present.

Okay, maybe that’s a lie.

But she tells people, specifically her girlfriend, that she doesn’t want to go. Santana is too comfortable in the confines of Brittany’s bedroom, limbs tangled underneath the huge blanket Brittany had tugged over them while they watched some Christmas movie Santana can’t remember the name of. Brittany is wearing a sweater but her chest is still warm against Santana’s cheek, and her fingers absently run up and down Santana’s side.

Santana likes it - no, she  _ loves _ it - here underneath the blanket with Brittany. So yeah, she doesn’t plan on moving any time soon.

“Finn said he’d pick you up,” Brittany reminds her. “He’ll be here soon.”

Santana lets out a petulant groan, curling into Brittany until her face is pressed up against her warm neck.

“I don’t wanna,” she mumbles against Brittany’s neck, placing a soft kiss against her skin.

Without even looking up, Santana knows Brittany smiles at the feel of Santana’s kiss, and that alone is enough to make the brunette smile too.

“You promised,” Brittany reminds her with a soft chuckle. “Come on, San, you were so excited earlier because he said he needs someone who ‘understands Kardashian taste.’”

“But I’m comfy here. It’s not  _ my _ fault the big oaf can’t figure out what his high strung girlfriend wants,” she grunts, very much enjoying the warm purchase she’s found in Brittany’s neck.

Brittany hums, clearly amused at Santana’s disgruntled state, and Santana would hate her for it if Brittany didn’t have a hand in her hair, lightly scratching her scalp in a way that Brittany knows makes Santana soften almost immediately.

“It’s not your fault,” she agrees softly. “but Finn’s a dumb boy and he asked you because you’re a smart girl, so you should help him so we can all avoid Rachel having a meltdown that will somehow affect the entire glee club.”

Santana chuckles just a little, pulling away from Brittany’s neck to give her a teasing smile as she asks, “Are you sure I’m the smart one in the relationship?”

Brittany grins widely at her in return. “One hundred percent.”

After leaning over to place a chaste kiss on Brittany’s lips, she shakes her head fondly. “You’re the genius here, Britt.”

Brittany’s eyes light up just like they do every time Santana tells her this, and it leaves Santana feeling warm and tingly. She feels like this a lot around Brittany, felt this way long before they ever started dating, and at first it scared Santana, but now she just lets it consume her fully, feeling all the warmth and adoration that comes in waves when Brittany looks at her like that. Or when Brittany gives her that small, quiet smile meant for just her, like she’s doing now.

God, Santana is so in love with her best friend.

She leans over and kisses Brittany slowly, knowing exactly what she’s doing because Brittany is almost immediately pulling her onto her lap, warm hands running up and down Santana’s exposed legs. Santana can’t help the smile that pulls at her lips at the feeling, and Brittany is quick to take advantage and slide her tongue into Santana’s mouth. They don’t get much farther than that because Santana can hear Finn’s loud old truck pulling up to the house, and though Santana pretends she doesn’t hear Finn’s door creek open and shut, Brittany is pulling away before her hands land on Santana’s face.

“You need to go,” Brittany whispers, a little out of breath.

Santana gives her a look. “You’re really letting Finn interrupt this?”

Brittany laughs, sitting up fully which forces Santana to fall into her lap at an awkward angle. Santana puts on her best pout, but Brittany only grins, smoothing out Santana’s hair.

“You’re coming back here after,” Brittany points out. “And you’re staying the night. Go be a good friend.”

“I’m not friends with-” Santana starts, but Brittany smirks and cuts her off.

“You kind of are,” she counters.

Santana rolls her eyes in response, not bothering to continue the argument. She slides off the bed, pout still intact and reaches for her coat she had earlier discarded on Brittany’s floor. Brittany reluctantly also moves out of bed, pulling Santana into her as the doorbell rings.

“I’m mad at you for making me go,” Santana huffs out, but they both know she’s lying through her teeth.

“You love me,” Brittany insists, pressing a kiss to Santana’s forehead before taking her hand and practically dragging her down the stairs.

Santana shakes her head and laughs, letting Brittany pull her the whole way. They find Finn at the door, crouched down and talking to Brittany’s sister. It makes Santana smile, how Finn looks bewildered and how it sounds like the munchkin is talking a mile a minute. Brittany’s chuckling too, her hand slipping out of Santana’s as they near the other two.

Finn looks up from the munchkin as they approach. “Oh, hey guys.”

“Hi Finn,” Brittany greets with a wave before she’s tugging her sister away from him by the shoulders. “Sorry about her.”

“Hey!” her sister argues with a scowl.

Finn shakes his head, his stupid half-smile on his face as he stands back up. “It’s cool.”

“Finnocence,” Santana smirks in greeting as she walks over to him.

“Ready to go?” he asks, ignoring the nickname Santana’s grown particularly fond of calling him.

Just as Santana’s about to give him some snarky remark about how she’s obviously ready, his question seems to send the munchkin into a panic.

“Tana, you’re leaving?!” she whines loudly, a pout on her lips that could almost rival Brittany’s. “You promised you’d make cookies with me and Britty!”

Finn’s eyes widen and he looks slightly alarmed, not at all used to the munchkin’s constant adoration of Santana - and maybe at the use of the nickname  _ Tana _ \- but Santana simply turns and reassures the girl.

“I’m coming back later, so this better not take too long,” Santana adds, turning to give Finn a pointed look.

Finn nods in understanding, and Santana guesses he’s not around eight year olds much because he looks like he is very afraid of Brittany’s sister having a full blown meltdown if he doesn’t comply. Santana just hides her smirk, and she turns back to Brittany and her sister. Brittany’s eyes gleam with amusement at Finn, and Santana knows her own eyes match that look.

“I’ll see you guys in a bit,” she tells them, ruffling the munchkin’s hair before she’s leaning over and giving Brittany a sweet and short kiss.

“Gross!” the munchkin deadpans, scrunching up her nose.

“Love you,” Brittany hums, ignoring her sister’s comment as they pull away from each other.

Santana immediately smiles. “Love you.”

Finn is hovering awkwardly by the door and Santana tries not to scoff as she walks past him and towards his car. She hears him call out goodbye to the Pierce sisters before he jogs after Santana.

“You guys are cute,” Finn comments once they’re both in the car.

Santana gives him a look. “Shut up and drive, lumps.”

“Good to see you too,” Finn deadpans, but he does as he’s told anyway, smiling a little.

Santana hates to admit it, but she doesn’t  _ actually _ mind helping Finn find a “Karashian-type” gift - his words not hers - for one Rachel Berry. Finn is dumb and clueless and says the wrong thing almost every single time he opens his mouth, but at the end of the day he genuinely cares about all his friends, Santana included in that category.

And yeah, what he did to her over a month ago still sits in the back of her mind, still comes up in reminder any time she’s given a particularly nasty glare from some old hag when she’s out and about in Lima, but deep down, Santana knows that Finn is trying. A few sappy songs doesn’t fix everything, but Finn  _ knows _ he messed up and made her life a little bit worse, but also Santana thinks in a twisted way, he made it little bit better because there’s been a weight lifted off Santana’s shoulders since that terrible week. She can kiss her girlfriend in the hallway on the way to class if she wants to and she can tell people she has a  _ girlfriend _ to begin with. And even though Finn really fucked things up, he cares about her and tried in his dumb Finn way to clean up the mess he made.

Some messes are too big to fix, even for Finn with his big heart and good - but always misguided - intentions.

Finn cares about her in a way Santana’s unfamiliar with, almost like an annoying brother, and she’d  _ never _ admit it to him or anyone else - maybe Brittany at some point - but it’s a nice feeling to know he’s there for her even with the crap she throws at him on a daily basis. She has Brittany and the glee club and Finn, and even though she doesn’t exactly understand why being his first is so special to him, especially after she caused that fight between him and Rachel last year, she’s glad he’s in her and Brittany’s corner.

So yeah, she doesn’t actually mind helping him out today.

(She won’t tell him that, though.)

Santana scoffs at the music playing and immediately fiddles with the radio, trying to find a station that actually plays music from this decade. Finn argues with her about it, but he doesn’t stop her and Santana thinks maybe Finn Hudson isn’t so bad after all.

“So,” she starts when she finds a top hits station that isn’t playing an annoying song. “What are we working with here?”

Finn twists his lips. “Well, Rachel gave me a list so those are like, general ideas I guess.”

He nods to the piece of paper on the console and Santana snatches it quickly, eyes scanning the words written neatly across the page. She has to hold in a snort because Rachel Berry is an  _ actual _ diva.

“These are all so - wait,” Santana’s head snaps up, her brows furrowed. “Isn’t she Jewish?”

“Yeah,” Finn nods, letting out a long and troubled sigh. “Yeah, she is.”

The way he responds is enough for Santana to understand. She gives a particularly hard roll of her eyes before she turns back to the list, zeroing in on the jewelry part.

“Alright, we’re going to the Diamond Basement,” she decides, folding the paper back up and tossing it back onto the console. “Nothing says Karashian like bling.”

Finn grins a little nervously at her decision, but he nods nonetheless as they pull into the parking lot. “Cool.”

As she hops out of Finn’s truck and walks into the building with him, Santana wonders how Quinn had put up with Finn for  _ so _ long. Santana’s patience runs thin with him as barely-friends; she can’t imagine how exhausted and irritated she would be with Finn as her  _ boyfriend. _ The thought pulls a disgusted expression onto her face, but she shakes it off quickly as Finn falls into step with her fast pace.

“I can help you with Brittany’s Christmas present too after,” Finn offers, hands in the jeans of his pockets. “You know, if you want.”

Santana twists her lips to hide her smile at Finn’s offer.

“Unlike you, I don’t need help,” she sneers, but it lacks bite. “I bought Britt’s present two weeks ago.”

“Oh, that’s cool.”

Santana rolls her eyes at his dopey expression, but she hides a smile of her own as they weave around holiday shoppers and kiosks. She walks fast and with a purpose, leaving Finn a step or two behind because for as big as he is, he just moves so  _ slow. _

It isn’t until they enter the Diamond Basement that she finally comes to a pause, her eyes catching at all the jewelry. Bling, after all, has always caught her eye.

“Hey, thanks for coming with me to pick out Rachel’s Christmas present,” Finn says suddenly, taking Santana’s attention away from the shiny objects on display and back to him. “It really means a lot to me.”

He can’t quite meet her eyes, doing that damn half-smile as he unconsciously taps against the glass with his fingers. Santana knows he’s being serious, but god she’s not going to have a moment with Finn Hudson at the mall while trying to buy his lame girlfriend a present. It feels too much like that one time by their lockers, the same day Finn sang that stupid song and made her cry.

Finn seems to notice the way she tenses because he adds, “Plus, you’re like the only one I know who gets the rich bitch Kim thing.”

“I could not be more excited about spreading her hand of holiday cheer,” Santana shrugs, taking the bait as she turns away and strolls around the store. “Mainly narcissism and complete materialism. It’s something that every young person should emulate.”

She smirks as they come to a stop and looks up to get Finn’s reaction to her snarky comment, but he’s not even looking at her. Instead, he’s staring down at the glass, clearly fixated on the first piece of jewelry he’s come across.

“What about this heart necklace?” he asks.

Santana looks down and immediately has to hold back a scoff. Honestly, could Finn be any more of a clueless boy?

“No, see, that heart necklace says  _ thank you for loving a boy who works at a tire shop, _ ” she deadpans, smirking just a little when he sees the bewildered and slightly offended expression on Finn’s face.

“Okay. Um…” he trails off, eyes scanning the displays for another option. She watches his face go from slightly panicked to awe, slowly wandering over to the newest item he’s entranced by. “Wow, these earrings are amazing.”

Santana follows him slowly, a sure comment up her sleeve, but it dies on her tongue when she spots the earrings Finn’s pointed out. They’re two heart-shaped earrings with diamonds inside both hearts. Huh, not bad, Fetus Face.

“They really remind me of Rachel.”

There’s something about the way Finn says it that makes it click for Santana. She recognizes that tone; it’s the one she finds herself using when she’s in complete awe of Brittany, like when Brittany dances around the choir room effortlessly or when she looks at Santana like she’s the brightest star she’s ever seen.

“You really do love her, huh?”

She doesn’t mean to say it out loud, really. The quietness in her own voice surprises her, but she looks up at Finn with a curious gaze and he looks at her with the half-smile, half-smirk and for the first time, Santana isn’t irritated by his expression. In fact, it looks like he can’t find the right thing to say, like no combination of phrases will be able to make an accurate response.

“Those words don’t even cover how I feel about Rachel.”

Santana’s chest aches because she  _ gets _ it. She understands completely what Finn means. It’s why she often ends up singing to Brittany when she needs to say something really important. There’s a smile that tugs at her lips, but she hides it away, still wrapped up in this side of Finn she’s never seen before.

Finn looks away, eyes falling to the earrings that the employee pulled out for them to look at, as he nervously taps against the glass again.

“But you know we’re in high school and I don’t know, feelings like this won’t last forever,” he shrugs, glancing at Santana for a beat in a way that makes something tighten in her chest. The thought makes her uncomfortable, but she stays silent.

(Because her and Britt? It’s not just high school, not with them.)

“But a piece of jewelry will,” Finn continues, picking up the open box in his hands. “And maybe when she looks at them she’ll remember exactly how I felt the day I gave them to her.”

It might be the most insightful thing that Santana’s ever heard Finn say, and she feels warm and tingly all over because she thinks of the Christmas present she got Brittany and realizes now that what Finn’s said is exactly what she hopes happens when Brittany looks at her gift long after Christmas and the days beyond that.

(It’s exactly what she feels when she looks down at the silver charm bracelet that’s been sitting on her wrist for over two years now, long before Fleetwood Mac and heartbreak and  _ are we dating _ ever came into the picture. She knows now that Brittany was trying to tell Santana how much she loves her, long before either of them realized it.

When she looks down, she thinks of laughter and love and  _ Brittany. _ )

Santana might not understand how someone could feel that way about Rachel Berry, but she knows how Finn feels, which is why she doesn’t hesitate when she looks back at the man behind the counter and says, “Alright then yeah, wrap ‘em up.”

She leans towards Finn with a smile when she adds, “Kim would approve.”

But then Finn’s mouth drops and he looks like he’s on the verge of a freak out as he suddenly puts down the earrings.

“Wait wait, two hundred thirty-nine bucks? I can’t afford that,” he mumbles.

They both glance at the man at the counter, who most  _ definitely _ heard Finn’s comment and Santana is quickly excusing them for a moment as she gently pushes Finn back a few steps.

“How much do you have to spend?” she asks quietly.

“Like a hundred bucks,” Finn answers from the corner of his mouth.

There is a slight second where Santana panics, but she’s immediately putting on a nonchalant face. Because yeah, maybe she does care about Finn Hudson, just a little, and it would suck if he couldn’t get his dumb girlfriend a Christmas present. She totally can’t let that happen - she  _ won’t. _

So she’s ready to do what she does best.

“Okay don’t worry, everything’s negotiable,” she tells him. “You just have to make them want to work with you.”

Finn’s eyes go wide like he doesn’t understand a word she said. She resists the urge to roll her eyes at his cluelessness, instead turning back around and walking to the counter with a slight smirk on her lips.

“So is this really the best you can do?” she asks, making her voice just a little higher and her eyes wider.

She’s sure she looks innocent enough, but the man doesn’t budge.

“This isn’t a garage sale,” he remarks snidely. “The price is as marked.”

“It’s called the Diamond Basement,” Santana snarks back, unable to help herself.

Finn’s hand is suddenly on her shoulder attempting to gently tug her away as he says, “Santana let’s just go, come on.”

“No no,” Santana resists, walking Finn back a couple of steps as an idea clicks in her head. “Nothing puts a man in a bargaining mood than a little holiday spirit.”

She’s wearing her mischievous smile - the one that tells Brittany they’re about to do something a little ridiculous, the one that Quinn often tries to walk away from, the one Puck matches almost immediately more often than not. Finn, however, doesn’t recognize it in the slightest, and just watches with a dumbfounded expression as Santana boldly walks behind the counter and turns the music on.

And okay, singing in a jewelry store at the mall in attempts to seduce weird salesmen is  _ definitely _ not something she’d do on a regular basis, and certainly not for stupid Finn Hudson, yet here she is. 

God, when did she get so soft for the big sack?

Finn looks mostly bewildered the whole time, like he can’t quite believe it’s happening either, but Santana’s confidence doesn’t falter and she can’t help but smirk at the end when she sees the sales guy’s resolve breaking.

“Well, for you I guess I could let the earrings go for 189.”

He throws in a wink and Santana has to physically stop herself from making a disgusted face as she turns to Finn with a look. She tries not to look like she’s lost hope, but really, there’s only so much she can do before she outright steals the damn earrings. He grimaces and shifts awkwardly on his feet for a minute. Santana offers a small shrug and a twist of her lips, as if to say  _ I tried. _

Finn sighs heavily, finally taking a step towards the counter. He shoves his hand into his pocket and pulls out his wallet.

Santana’s mouth drops. “Are you sure?”

Finn offers a little smile as he hands his card over. “I’ll work extra at Burt’s for the next week, it’s okay.”

Santana watches with her still mouth slightly open as Finn smiles anxiously at the guy behind the counter, who offers a satisfied smile in return when he hands the card back.

“Enjoy your purchase,” he says as he tucks the now closed box of earrings away in a small bag. “And happy holidays.”

The guy shoots Santana a pointed look that makes her feel like he might be a creep, and Finn seems to be equally as offended by the gesture because as soon as he grabs the bag, he’s putting a hand on Santana’s shoulder and leading her out of the store, but not before she lets out a disgusted scoff.

She’s gently pushing his hand off of her by the time they round the corner as she insists, “I can take care of myself.”

“I know,” he assures her. “That guy was just giving me weird vibes.”

Santana scoffs. “You’re not the only one.”

Finn lets out a soft chuckle before he’s giving her a grateful smile. “Hey, thank you for doing all of that back there. You really didn’t have to.”

Santana shrugs like it’s no big deal because it  _ isn’t. _ She’s just very self aware of her God-given assets, that’s all.

(Though, she can’t say she’d do that for just about anyone.

Maybe the rest of those glee losers, though, if they really needed her to.  _ Maybe. _ )

“What can I say? I’ll take any chance I can to shine,” she teases. “Sorry I couldn’t get you more of a discount.”

“It’s okay,” Finn shrugs. “I don’t mind working a little more if it means Rachel gets the Christmas she wants.”

Santana wants to remind him that Rachel is Jewish so she usually doesn’t even  _ have _ a Christmas, but she holds back because he’s wearing that dopey smile and his eyes are lit up like they often are when it comes to the subject of Rachel.

Finn Hudson is stupidly in love with his girlfriend. Santana can’t say she doesn’t relate to him on that level.

“I get it,” Santana says before she even realizes it. She blinks, trying to back track. “I uh - I mean, uh…”

Finn saves her the conversation of  _ feelings _ and  _ love _ by giving her a small smile and a soft, “I know.”

Santana lets out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and nods in agreement.

“Can’t have a classic Rachel Berry breakdown now, can we?” she teases, echoing Brittany’s earlier sentiment in attempts to shift the mood.

Finn shakes his head at her, but there’s a smile tugging at his lips. Santana relaxes immediately, knowing she’s steered clear of having to talk about how much they both love their girlfriends or some sappy crap that Santana is most definitely not capable of handling with Finn the toddler.

“Alright, I need to get you home before Brittany’s little sister murders me for kidnapping you.”

At this, Santana snorts. “What, are you scared of an eight-year-old?”

“She means business,” Finn insists, but he’s grinning widely at her.

For a moment, Santanna enjoys the fact that she and Finn are  _ friends, _ even if she’ll never admit it to him. She thinks Finn could be a good guy, a great one even. He’s just got a lot to learn about all the stupid things that come out of his mouth, though.

“Alright Finnocence, let’s get out of here,” she says, leading the way through the mall.

It’s somehow busier now than it was when they arrived, and Santana has every intention of making a beeline back to the parking lot and to Finn’s beat up truck, but her eyes wander through the store windows and she comes at a stop when she sees a greeting card on display.

It’s a blue card, like water, and has two adorably-illustrated otters on the front holding hands. The text above and below the otters reads  _ Merry Christmas to my otter half. _ It’s cheesy and kind of lame, but Santana can’t stop looking at it. Everything about it screams Brittany, and Santana can’t help but feel all warm and soft at the thought of it.

Finn nearly knocks into her from behind, but catches himself just in time in his terribly uncoordinated way before he looks at the display window Santana’s staring at.

“What is it?” he asks, unable to pinpoint the exact item that has her fixated.

The sound of his voice seems to snap her out of it, shaking her head as she answers, “Nothing, it’s just this card. It just reminds me of…”

“Brittany?” Finn supplies with a knowing smile when his eyes settle on the greeting card. A surprised chuckle leaves his lips as he adds, “Don’t you normally think puns like that are lame?”

“They  _ are _ lame,” Santana defends with a soft smack against Finn’s vest. “You can’t take anyone who uses puns like that seriously. Like, come on.”

“Okay okay,” Finn concedes, hands up in mock surrender. “I hear you.”

Santana half heartedly rolls her eyes before she looks back at the card, smiling just a little at the otters.

“No it’s just...Britt told me about otters,” she explains. “Did you know they hold hands in the water when they sleep and stuff so they don’t drift apart? They also hold hands because they’re scared of losing each other and sometimes they do it to protect each other from predators.”

(She thinks back to the first time Brittany told her this information. Santana hadn’t really known what to do with it other than let Brittany know that it was, indeed, a cool fact.

“San, you’re my otter,” Brittany told her once it was clear Santana wasn’t getting it.

Santana scrunched up her nose. “We’re sea creatures now?”

Brittany laughed, tugging Santana closer on the couch as she slipped her fingers into the spaces between Santana’s.

“We never drift apart or lose each other because we never let go of each other,” Brittany explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Even when things get bad, we don’t let go.”

Santana softened when it clicked, and she softened at how Brittany’s eyes were big and blue and honest and suddenly being compared to a sea otter felt like the best thing in the world.

“Well, you’re mine, too,” she decided with a smile.)

She doesn’t even know why she’s even bothering to explain this all to Finn, but it’s tumbling out of her before she can really help herself. She feels like it’s a nervous tick, the way she sometimes shows her vulnerability to Finn, even in the smallest of ways. Finn, at least, seems receptive to the information.

“That’s pretty cool,” he admits, and it sounds genuine enough that Santana relaxes. “How’d Brittany know all that?”

She smirks proudly, unable to help herself. “My girlfriend’s smarter than people think.”

Finn nods at that, like he agrees - like it’s not a totally crazy notion - and it kind of makes Santana swell with pride. Because fuck everyone who thinks Brittany’s stupid. Brittany’s like,  _ the _ smartest person she knows. It’s not Brittany’s fault she sees things different and, arguably, better than everyone else.

“So...you and Brittany are like these sea otters?” Finn asks.

Hearing it out loud from Finn of all people makes Santana’s cheeks flush slightly and she ducks her head so her hair covers her cheeks.

“I mean, she thinks so,” she answers, trying to brush off the connection casually.

She’s expecting him to tease her, but instead he’s saying, “I can totally see it.”

When Santana risks a glance up at him, he’s smiling like it makes total sense, like he just told her the sky is blue or water is wet. She’s surprised he isn’t attempting to make a lame jab at her, and honestly, she’s starting to wonder if she’s fallen into a parallel universe now.

“You should get it for her,” Finn suggests. “Add it to her Christmas present.”

Santana immediately scoffs. “As if I’d be caught buying the cheesiest Christmas card on this planet.”

Finn seems to be unbothered by her answer. “Fine, I’ll buy it for you.”

Santana narrows her eyes at him. “What?”

But Finn isn’t listening to her at all. Instead, he’s walking right into the store and making a beeline for the stack of otter greeting cards to the right. Santana wonders if she should go after him, but she  _ refuses _ to walk into cheesy off-brand Hallmark stores - come  _ on, _ she’s not a complete loser - so she just stands outside and watches Finn disappear to the back, where presumably the register is.

He comes back out a couple of minutes later, holding out a small plastic bag in front of Santana’s face and looking smug.

“You can’t be serious,” she insists, giving him a look.

Finn shrugs. “You weren’t going to buy it, so I did. It’s like a thank you for helping me with Rachel’s present.”

“I didn’t ask you to do that,” Santana snaps. “I didn’t even say I wanted it.”

(She did, though, because she knows Brittany’s face will light up when she reads it and she’ll let out a squeal before throwing herself into Santana’s arms and telling her how much she loves the card and  _ her. _

She’d never tell anyone that, though.)

Finn seems to know she’s lying because he’s wearing that stupid half-smirk, half-smile like he’s in on a secret she very explicitly  _ didn’t _ share with him. It kind of makes her want to punch him.

“You totally had that look all over your face,” he says as if that explains everything.

Santana scoffs. “What look?”

Finn grows a little shy then, not quite meeting her eyes when he says, “The same look I probably had when I found those earrings for Rachel.”

This was the  _ exact _ conversation Santana thought she had successfully avoided less than ten minutes ago.

Santana just stares at him for a moment, hoping her cheeks don’t flush. She could totally gaslight him and pretend she has no idea what he’s talking about. She can chalk it up to his two brain cells imaging things and there’s no way in hell she’d get all soft for a stupid  _ card. _ But the thing is, deep down, she knows he’s right.

The second it caught her attention, all Santana could think about was  _ Brittany  _ and the instant reaction she would have to the card. She could practically see the way Brittany’s eyes would shine and she’d know that Santana is  _ always _ listening when Brittany says cheesy things that she pretends to hate but secretly loves. 

Because yeah, maybe Santana’s gone a little soft for Brittany - some might argue she’s  _ always _ been soft for the blonde - but Santana can’t even feel that embarrassed about it when she knows at the end of the day the one person that matters most in her world loves her. She can’t when Brittany is always patient and understanding, always there to remind Santana that she is loved and worth every good thing that comes her way.

“She’s gonna love the card,” Finn reminds her when she doesn’t have a snarky remark for him.

He holds up the small bag again, holding it like it’s a peace offering. She looks at him for another moment, trying to read his expression, but all she finds is an encouraging smile and genuine eyes. He doesn’t ask her to spill her guts out about how she feels; it’s almost like he already knows. She finally gives in with a soft sigh and takes the bag from him.

“Thanks,” she mumbles, tucking the back into the inside pocket of her coat.

Santana has to bite back a smile at the way Finn’s smile widens, triumphant like they’ve won a competition. She gives him an eye roll for good measure before she’s leading them back towards the parking lot after their detour.

“If you tell anyone about th-” she starts, but Finn just laughs.

“It’ll be our little secret,” he promises conspiratorially.

Santana still thinks Finn Hudson is an oversized, uncoordinated toddler who usually says the wrong thing every time he opens his mouth, but sometimes, he gets it right. The way he’s laughing and joking and singing the whole way home makes her feel light and happy and like all the bad things that happened between them were so long ago that they were a different lifetime.

“Thank you again for helping me today,” Finn says when he pulls up to Brittany’s house. 

Santana offers him a smirk. “Just doing my best to make sure the glee club doesn’t implode with a classic Rachel Berry outburst.”

Finn lets out a soft chuckle, but he can see underneath Santana’s snark that she means well. She offers him a smile and she’s barely opening the car door before an eight year old is barreling down the front yard in nothing but pajamas and a hat halfway on her head.

“‘Tana you’re back!”

Santana’s barely got both feet on the sidewalk before Brittany’s little sister is quite literally running right into her legs, small arms reaching up and wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Hey munch,” Santana laughs as she hugs her back. “It’s freezing out here! How’d you know I was back?”

“I heard the loud truck all the way from inside the kitchen!” she answers back proudly, grinning widely up at Santana and looking a lot like Brittany at the moment.

Santana lets out a snort as she turns back to Finn, raising her eyebrows playfully at him. Finn rolls his eyes, having already heard time and time again from Santana just how  _ loud _ his stupid truck is.

“You have great hearing,” Finn tells Brittany’s sister jokingly.

The munchkin looks around Santana’s legs, as if just now noticing Finn in the driver’s seat. Brittany is jogging down the front yard with a jacket in hand.

“I told you to put a jacket on before you go outside,” Brittany chastises, fixing the hat on her sister’s head.

Santana looks at her fondly and she quips, “Pierces don’t seem to listen to things like that.”

Brittany’s still in her sweater from earlier and only wearing slippers on her feet. She grins unashamedly at Santana before she wraps an arm around her and presses a kiss to her cold cheek. Santana is suddenly awfully aware of the card inside her jacket and her chest warms at the thought of giving it to Brittany on Christmas.

“Hi you,” Brittany greets sweetly before looking at Finn. “Successful trip?”

Finn nods before grinning knowingly at Santana as he responds, “I’d say so.”

Santana smirks at him. “You would’ve walked out of there empty handed without me.”

Finn looks back at Brittany as he gleefully tells her, “Santana put on quite the performance.”

Brittany’s eyes widen. “What did you do, San? You didn’t shoplift again, did you? I told you-”

“No,” Santana laughs. “Come on, I’ll tell you all about it inside.”

“Are you going to make Christmas cookies with us?”

Three pairs of eyes turn to Brittany’s little sister, who had been somewhat forgotten by the rest of them in the few moments that passed. She’s still got that curious look in her eyes as she looks at Finn, and Santana thinks she looks so much like Brittany it’s uncanny.

“Uh,” Finn stutters, looking up at Santana and Brittany for help.

Brittany looks at Santana to see what she’s thinking, but Santana’s looking at her sister.

“That depends, do you want him to make Christmas cookies with us?” she asks the younger Pierce.

The munchkin twists her lips for a minute, as if seriously contemplating it, before giving a serious nod.

Santana smiles at her antics before she’s looking back at Finn. “Hope you’re good at baking, lumps.”

Brittany eyes her girlfriend curiously, but her lips are turning into a smile as she turns back excitedly to Finn.

Finn blinks, his face a little confused but a smile there nonetheless, as he asks, “You sure? I don’t...if you guys are-”

“Come on, let’s go!” the munchkin is squealing, sprinting around to the driver’s side of the truck to open Finn’s door up for him.

Brittany laughs when Finn looks at her for permission. “Come inside, Finn. It’ll be fun.”

“Okay,” Finn nods, his smile widening as he gets out of the car and allows himself to be tugged by Brittany’s sister inside the house.

Santana and Brittany watch amusedly as they take their time following behind them.

“I think your sister has a crush on our little Finnocence,” Santana teases in a quiet voice.

Brittany laughs softly, pulling Santana in close as she responds, “That’s fine, it just means I get you all to myself without the munchkin stealing your attention.”

Santana’s eyes light up with fondness and loves the way she feels warm all over with Brittany’s arm around her as they walk with their faces close back inside the house. Brittany is looking at her with this weird, giddy look that she can’t quite place, though, and it bothers her as they close the front door.

“What?”

Brittany grins. “You’re totally friends with Finn Hudson.”

Santana knows better to deny it, this is  _ Brittany _ for crying out loud, so she just lets out a scoff and says, “Whatever. Maybe he’s not terrible in short doses.”

Brittany laughs, full and loud this time, pressing a kiss to Santana’s temple. “You’re a good friend, San.”

Santana only rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling despite herself. “Yeah, okay.”

There is a loud clatter in the kitchen and a loud  _ “Britty!” _ being yelled and the two of them are quickly making their way into the kitchen where the spatula and mixer have somehow ended up on the floor and Finn looks wide eyed and a little guilty.

“Sorry,” he says immediately.

“It’s fine,” Brittany insists with a small smile, ruffling up her sister’s hair as she goes to pick up the dropped items. Santana only smirks at Finn.

“You are the clumsiest human being on this planet,” she tells him, but it lacks the usual bite that comes with her insults towards him, and he only shrugs and gives her a sheepish look, and Santana decides she doesn’t hate Finn at all.

She’ll let him still think she does, though, even if he only thinks she hates him a little.

The last thing Santana thought she’d be doing on a Saturday night is baking cookies with  _ Finn Hudson _ , but Santana finds she doesn’t hate it at all.

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't heard, the glee cast + some friends have put together a charity drive in memory of Naya. If you are able, please consider donating to the [Go Fund Me page](https://www.gofundme.com/f/snixxmas-charity-drive-in-memory-of-naya-rivera?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1) run by Team Snixxmas


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